Immigration · Spain · 2026

Spain's digital nomad route: what the law actually says

Two different documents, the qualification test that trips people up, the 20-day decision and why the income figure you saw in a chat group is not in the statute.

6 min readofficial BOE sources

This explainer was prepared with the help of AI and is for information only. Lity is a technology platform, not a law firm: this is not legal advice.

In short

  • The statute contains no "digital nomad visa". It contains international remote work (teletrabajo de carácter internacional) — chapter V bis of Ley 14/2013.
  • These are two different things: a visa (up to one year, for people outside Spain) and a residence permit (up to three years, applied for from inside Spain).
  • What the law requires: work for a company outside Spain; that company genuinely active for at least a year; a relationship with it of at least three months; and qualification — a degree or at least three years of professional experience.
  • The decision takes 20 days. If no answer comes in time, the application is deemed granted.
  • There is no income figure in the statute. The numbers circulating in chat groups come from secondary rules and change — check them at the time you apply.

Who it is for

The route covers third-country nationals allowed to stay in Spain and carry out work or professional activity remotely for companies located outside the country, exclusively through communications and IT means (art. 74 bis.1).

There is a fork here that is often missed:

  • As an employee — you may work only for companies outside Spain.
  • As a professional (your own services contract, autónomo) — you may also work for a Spanish company, but that work must not exceed 20% of your total activity.

Qualification (art. 74 bis.2): applications are open to qualified professionals who can show a degree from a university, vocational training or a business school of recognised standing, or professional experience of at least three years.

What you will have to prove

Beyond the general requirements (art. 74 ter):

  • the company or group of companies you work with has been genuinely and continuously active for at least one year;
  • the work can physically be done remotely — evidenced by documents;
  • for employment relationships — that the relationship with the company outside Spain has existed for at least the last three months, and that the company permits remote work;
  • for professional relationships — that the commercial relationship with one or more companies outside Spain has lasted at least the last three months, plus the terms on which you will work remotely.

General requirements for every permit in this category (art. 62.3): not being in Spain unlawfully; being of age; no criminal record in Spain or in your countries of residence for the set period; health insurance — public, or private with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain; sufficient means for yourself and your family; and payment of the fee.

Visa and permit are not the same document

The visa (art. 74 quater). For people not yet living in Spain. It lasts up to a year, or for the length of the work if that is shorter. Importantly, the visa itself already allows you to live in Spain and work remotely — no separate document is needed for that. 60 calendar days before the visa expires you may apply for the residence permit, provided the circumstances have not changed.

The residence permit (art. 74 quinquies). For people already lawfully in Spain, or who entered on the visa above. It lasts up to three years and is renewed for two at a time, as long as the conditions still hold.

How the application is handled

Files are processed electronically by the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos, and decided by the Dirección General de Migraciones (art. 76).

  • The maximum period is 20 days from electronic submission.
  • If that period passes with no decision, the permit is deemed granted — positive administrative silence.
  • A refusal must be reasoned and can be appealed by recurso de alzada.
  • Filing the application extends your current stay or residence status until the file is decided.
  • Where the permit is granted for more than six months, a foreigner's card (TIE) is issued afterwards.

What is not in the statute — and why we don't print it

A specific income figure. The law requires "sufficient means" (art. 62.3.f) and names no number. The figure is set by secondary rules and is revised. That is why you will see different numbers in chat groups, some of them out of date. Check the requirement against the rules in force when you apply, not against last year's post.

What to have ready before you apply

  1. Proof that your employer or client has been active for at least a year.
  2. Proof that the relationship has lasted at least three months, and written permission to work remotely.
  3. Your degree — or evidence of three years' professional experience.
  4. Health insurance valid in Spain, and a criminal record certificate.
  5. If you are self-employed with a Spanish client: the calculation showing that work stays under 20% of your activity.

Official sources

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This is an informational explainer, not legal advice. It is based on the texts of the laws in force but does not take the circumstances of your case into account. Decisions on your situation are for a lawyer to make.

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